California Wine Country

Fred Peterson, owner of  Peterson Winery , joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country today. This is Fred’s first time on the show, but Peterson wines were a big part of  this episode with Darryl Miller, on March 27 this year . Daedalus mentions the birds on the labels of the Peterson wines that Fred has brought. There are other labels with a mountain lion, a b...

Shane Finley, winemaker and Lisa Brayton co-owner of  Thirty-Seven Wines  join Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country.  This episode of August 10, 2022  featured Lisa along with her husband Al, who is holding down the fort today. This is Shane’s first time on the show. Thirty-Seven Wines is named after the highway. Dan describes the Thirty-Seven Wines v...

Scott Lindstrom-Dake from  Thumbprint Cellars  joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. This is Scott’s first time on the show. Thumbprint Cellars is located in the Petaluma Gap. The first tasting is a 2024 Nouveau, primarily made with Grenache with a little bit of Zin, meant to be served chilled. It has a dark pink color and is a refreshing easy-drinking wi...

Tony Lombardi from  Lombardi Wines  is our guest on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. This is his first time on the show. The winery is located in the Petaluma Gap, which we have described in many recent episodes.  This episode from 2018  is about the 3rd anniversary of the Petaluma Gap AVA, We start with Chardonnay, which Dan says is in the mold of&n...

Matt Taylor, owner of  Matt Taylor Wines , is our guest today on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. This is his first time on the show. Dan Berger did talk a little about  Chenin Blanc in this recent episode . On April 30 this year, Matt Taylor was the subject of  a feature story in the New York Times . Chenin Blanc is coming back. It was popular in the 197...

Kevin Bersofsky, owner of  Montagne Russe  wines, is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. He has been on the show before, the last time was  this episode in 2024 . Kevin has brought a French style sparkling Rosé. Dan likes this sparkling Rosé because it is dry. This is a 2022, 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Chard, Keller estate Petaluma Gap frui...

Don Chigazola is back with  Chigazola Merchants  French wines on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. Don Chigazola receives the first Golden Corkscrew with a fanfare for brass orchestra, for being a guest ten times on CWC. The last time Don Chigazola was on CWC was  this episode last January , with a selection of wines he imports from Italy. Today,...

We have a selection of  Bottle Barn picks from Dan Berger on California Wine Country with Dan and Daedalus Howell today, wines that Dan says show a trend in the retail wine business. He has brought selections from Bottle Barn that will illustrate this new direction. Dan Berger is our weekly co-host and has also been featured on the show, such as this episode about Gamay Beaujolais. Many young...

Sal de la Cruz from  Ludor Wines  joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell in the studio on California Wine Country today. This is the first time on the show for Sal and for the winery. All of the wines that Sal has brought come from the Weiler vineyard in the Sonoma Valley AVA. They begin by tasting  a red wine blend called  Yuma , named after their beloved nine-year-old dog , who...

Carol Shelton brings her latest Gold Medal winners to California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. She produces Zinfandel and other varietals under her own label,  Carol Shelton Wines . She has been on the show several times and  her very first episode was this one in December of 2017 . Dan explains that Carol always does extremely well in wine competitions. “Gold m...

Chris Sawyer is here as Melissa Galliani’s special guest, along with Courtney Wagner the winemaker at  Martinelli Winery . Chris is getting ready for the Sonoma County Vintners  Pour and Explore  event on April 23. They will be tasting the best Pinot Noir in Sonoma County. He has been in the wine business locally since the 1970s and has seen its growth. Courtney Wagner is the...

Erica Stancliff,  Deodora Estate Vineyards  winemaker, joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. This is her fifth time as a guest on the show. Her very first time was  this episode on February 20, 2019  and her last time was  May 23, 2025 with Doug Mryglod and Judy Phillips , the owners of Deodora Estate Vineyards. The Artemis II crew just splashed...

This episode marks another  Clark Smith  Double Gold win, on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. This is also Clark’s 12th time as a guest on the show.  Clark Smith’s first CWC episode was this one in 2017  . It was one of our very first shows! Today we can say he has filled the case, with his 12th guest appearance. No other guest has been o...

Dan and Darryl. Darryl Miller is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell, with wines from two Sonoma County wineries, Dehlinger Winery in the west county and Peterson Winery in Dry Creek Valley. He has been on CWC a few times, the most recent is this episode on July 18, 2025 . Darryl Miller is retired from the wholesale wine business. He works with the Dehlinger winery,...

Dan and Ross. Winemaker Ross Cobb is our guest again today on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. He is the founder of Cobb Wines . Ross was on the show once before, on this episode in January of 2025 . Daedalus Howell remembers meeting Ross Cobb maybe 30 years ago, when they were both at the beginning of their careers. They begin by tasting a Chardonnay from 2023, which D...

Dan, Daedalus and Bob. Our guest is Bob Cabral again, on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell, with four of his wines to taste and describe. He was one of our very first guests on this episode of June 21, 2017 , a couple of years after he launched his own label, Bob Cabral Wines . Since that first podcast appearance in 2017, Bob has been on California Wine Country many more...

Daedalu, Drew, Daisy and Dan. Our guests today are Drew and Daisy Damskey, who join Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. Drew’s father and Daisy’s husband Kerry Damskey has been on this show several times, most recently on this episode of March 1, 2023 . The first wine in our glasses is a 2023 Semillon, made by Drew Damskey for Palmieri Wines . This white wine grape is relati...

David and Dan David Ramey, founder of Ramey Wine Cellars , joins Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. He has been on CWC before, but it was a while ago, on this episode in 2018 and again here in 2019 . The weather today is unseasonably warm, but it doesn’t affect Dan’s work. People tell him it seems he has the greatest job in the world. They think he just has to drink wine an...

Dan and Matt Matt Duffy from Vaughn Duffy Wines is back on California Wine Country. Matt has been on the show before, on this episode last summer . Dan Berger is back after taking last week off to attend the Anderson Valley White Wine festival, which we previewed on a few recent CWC episodes. He was in charge of the Riesling table with 12 different ones. They will hold a Pinot Noir festival in abo...

Miro Tcholakov is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell, and Melissa Galliani is also in the studio today.  He operates Miro Cellars and is also winemaker for Trentadue Wines. Miro has been on CWC before, on this episode back on September 9, 2020 . and his last appearance was this episode on April 5, 2024 . Miro has brought a Chardonnay, the only Chardonnay he makes n...

Dan Berger, Chris O’Gorman and Daedalus Howell. Chris O’Gorman and Chris Sawyer are our guests on California Wine Country, to present Pour and Explore at Rodney Strong Vineyards on Feb. 12. Chris O’Gorman is in the studio and Chris Sawyer joins us on the phone. Chris O’Gorman has been on CWC before, his last appearance was this episode last August . It was actually Daedalus...

Chris Puppione from Puppione Family Wines is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. The last time Chris was on the show was this episode last summer, on June 6 , when he spoke to Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger. Chris has brought four wines that Dan describes as “fabulous” and they are low-alcohol wines. Dan says Chris has had an opportunity to explore the lowe...

Dan, Daedalus and Julie Julie Pedroncelli from Pedroncelli Winery is back on California Wine Country with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell. She has been on the show before, the last time was this episode of last January . Dan describes the current slowdown in the wine business. The other times that the wine market went soft, there were one or two causes, but today there are several causes. But the b...

The book that Dan and Don agree is the best one on this subject. Don Chigazola has brought Colle Ciocco wines to taste and review with Dan Berger and Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. Don’s company Chigazola Merchants imports selected small lots of Italian wines made by small family-owned wineries. He travels to Italy regularly to find wines and to meet everyone involved. Don Chiga...

Dan, Daedalus & Courtney Courtney De Graff, from the Anderson Valley International White Wine Festival joins Dan Berger & Daedalus Howell on California Wine Country. She is the executive director of the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association. The International White Wine Festival is coming this February 14th through 16th. Courtney was on California Wine Country at this same time last year...